Winterlude puts in-person fun on ice for 2nd straight year

Canadian Heritage says all in-person Winterlude activities have been cancelled for a second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal department announced Tuesday the Snowflake Kingdom, a huge event at Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau, Que., that incorporates many winter activitieswon't take place, in addition to Winterlude events in Ottawa.

Thenational ice-carving contest, where pairs of sculptorsfrom across Canada have 20 hours to create art with 15 blocks of ice, will take place and the sculptures can be viewed and voted on online.

The festival also cancelled events in 2021 with festivities going virtual due to the pandemic.

Canadian Heritage says it consulted with partners about how Winterlude could still happen safely but the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to spread, forcing organizers to opt for a prudent approach.

Most events were scheduled to start in early February.